{"id":341152,"date":"2026-07-15T18:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341152\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:01:11","slug":"simply-astronomical-60-kilos-2-1m-haul-9-arrests-in-florida-cocaine-kingpin-bust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341152\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Simply astronomical’: 60 kilos, $2.1M haul, 9 arrests in Florida cocaine kingpin bust"},"content":{"rendered":"

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Nine people were arrested, and 60 kilograms of cocaine<\/a> with an estimated street value of $2.1 million were seized following a years-long investigation into a major drug trafficking organization operating in Pinellas County<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During a news conference on Tuesday, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Florida Department of Law Enforcement<\/a> Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center Special Agent in Charge Mark Dubina detailed the results of “Operation Hall of Fame,” an investigation that targeted alleged cocaine trafficker Daniel Pinales, 35.<\/p>\n

“This is the largest drug seizure from a single Pinellas County drug trafficker that I know of in the past 40-plus years,” Gualtieri said. <\/p>\n

The amount of cocaine that Daniel Pinales was putting on the streets of Pinellas County is just simply astronomical.”<\/p>\n

According to investigators, detectives spent several years investigating Pinales after receiving information that he was a major cocaine distributor in Pinellas County. The investigation revealed Pinales was allegedly obtaining multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine from suppliers in El Paso, Texas, and distributing the drugs throughout the county.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the cocaine was transported monthly from Texas <\/a>to Florida <\/a>using truck tractors. Detectives learned the transport operation involved one working tractor towing two additional tractors as a disguise to conceal the trafficking operation.<\/p>\n

During a news conference on Tuesday, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center Special Agent in Charge Mark Dubina detailed the results of “Operation Hall of Fame,” an investigation that targeted alleged cocaine trafficker Daniel Pinales, 35. (PCSO) <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Investigators said the Texas-based couriers would travel to a hotel in Wesley Chapel before meeting with Pinales, who would take possession of duffel bags containing kilograms of cocaine. The drugs were then allegedly stored in a stash house in Tampa before being distributed to customers in Pinellas County.<\/p>\n

On July 10, detectives conducted surveillance on one of the shipments as it traveled from El Paso to Florida. Authorities observed suspects transferring three duffel bags from a truck tractor to a rented SUV before meeting Pinales in a secluded parking lot in Tampa.<\/p>\n

According to investigators, the duffel bags were transferred to Pinales’ vehicle. When detectives attempted to stop him, Pinales fled but was later apprehended. Authorities recovered 60 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 132 pounds, from the vehicle.<\/p>\n

See also: What permanent daylight saving time could mean for Florida winters<\/a><\/p>\n

Investigators estimate the organization was transporting about $1 million in drug proceeds back to Texas on every return trip and that the operation was bringing similar quantities of cocaine into the area each month.<\/p>\n

The following suspects were arrested as part of the operation:<\/p>\n

Daniel Pinales, 35, of Brandon, was charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine.Jesus Morales, 36, listed as transient, was charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine.Carlos Arturo , 32, of Canutillo, Texas, was charged with two counts of trafficking in cocaine.Joaquin Enriquez, 20, of Los Ranchos, New Mexico, was charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine.Tyler Green, 33, of Largo, was charged with four counts of trafficking in cocaine.Marice Higgins, 33, of Seminole, was charged with eight counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.Brian Varner, 39, of Clearwater, was charged with eight counts of trafficking in cocaine.Cody Dent, 35, of Clearwater, was charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine.Ryan Sturgis, 34, of Largo, was charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine.<\/p>\n

Gualtieri said the investigation remains active and additional arrests are possible as detectives continue examining the organization’s connections in Texas and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Pinales was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and faces a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 15 years if convicted, authorities said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Nine people were arrested, and 60 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-341152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}